SMART Blog

A lot has been said about the advantages and disadvantages of hosted and in-house telephony infrastructures. While businesses find that a cloud-hosted VoIP phone system is very convenient, there are others who believe that an on-site telephony infrastructure presents a certain value.

Hackers are always attempting new ways to steal or corrupt sensitive data. If you don’t take the opportunity to protect your systems, you could face a major data loss incident or security discrepancy. Here are five ways you can protect your business’s infrastructure from hackers waiting to steal your data.

Data backup is a critical component of a business continuity plan, but many businesses fail to understand why data backup is important, as well as what it entails. Here is why data backup is important, and why you need it for your business. An understanding of how your data backup saves your infrastructure will allow you to effectively use it for business continuity.

Internet companies are always seeking ways to improve and ease the experience of their customers and clients. Take, for example, eBay. The famous reselling site has been taking steps to install an assortment of new features to improve its customers’ experience.

So, you’re convinced that cloud computing is the way to go for your agency. That’s great, and it’s an easy choice to make, seeing the cloud affords your business benefits such as increased productivity, improved collaboration, anytime/anywhere access, and much more. Now that you’ve decided to go with the cloud, what’s your next move to make it a reality?

With today’s great technology solutions, working remotely is no longer just a dream. Many businesses have either a partial or a complete remote staff, and it’s all held together by modern technology solutions. However, even with the latest tech, remote workers still have to be diligent and invest in their own success.

You may have heard about CEO fraud, which is commonly referred to as “whaling.” It’s like a phishing scheme, but on a much more intricate scale. Instead of faking the identity of another employee, or someone from a financial institution or government agency, the hacker will try to use the identity of a business owner or CEO instead. The idea is to use an employee’s fear of confrontation and eagerness to comply with requests to the hacker’s advantage--and you’d be surprised by how often it works.

Insider threats are defined as internal threats that could come in the form of either malicious or negligent users. Perhaps an employee recently quit and left the office in a flurry of madness, or maybe you have employees who just don’t care to follow security best practices. Either way, insider threats are major problems that need to be addressed.

Cloud Management
The cloud continues to increase in popularity, in part due to the overwhelming convenience that it provides for small businesses. When your workforce needs to be agile, they need access to data and applications on the move. This means that they can be productive anytime, anywhere. However, managing a cloud server can be a daunting task for a business that doesn’t have a full-time internal IT department. Outsourcing this responsibility to a managed service provider lets your business focus on productivity, rather than managing your technology.

Since its invention in 1898 by Edwin G. Seibels, the storage solution of choice in many office environments has been the filing cabinet. However, there is a better option available with far greater utility in the modern office: the document management solution.

Security is increasingly becoming one of the most important parts of running a business, especially today when organizations rely heavily on their technology solutions. Some of the most dangerous threats lurk on a business’s network, waiting for an opportunity to do some real damage. With the right preventative measures, however, your business can catch these threats in the act before they can accomplish their goals.

Software-based phone systems are increasingly popular in the workplace. Traditional phone systems, while helpful under certain situations, are becoming increasingly antiquated compared to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP can help you save money and improve efficiency. But is VoIP right for your business?

Hardware refreshes often cause turmoil for businesses, particularly because of the cost of new servers and the time it takes to migrate data from one location to another. Thankfully, with the advent of virtualized servers, businesses have an alternative to the outright purchase of expensive, new hardware solutions. A virtual server hosted in the cloud offers not only a more immediate reprieve, but can also significantly reduce costs for your organization in the long run.

Wireless Internet signals, referred to as Wi-Fi, are commonplace in the office. Even organizations that don’t need access to the Internet, like restaurants and coffee shops, have wireless connections available for customer use. However, just because you can connect to free Wi-Fi, doesn’t mean that you should.

For years hackers have found ways to infiltrate and steal money from ATMs, but the latest tact is so dangerous that even the Secret Service has issued a warning about it.

Is your business still using tape as its primary method of data backup? If so, you could be missing out on a more reliable, less time-consuming alternative. Image-based, or “snapshot” backup solutions are the optimal way to guarantee the continuity of your organization’s data infrastructure.

Volkswagen has teamed up with three Israeli cybersecurity experts to form Cymotive, a company dedicated to creating solutions for preventing cyber attacks against computerized cars.

The more you use your device, the more often you reach for your charger for an afternoon plug-in session. For business owners who are increasingly using their smartphones as their primary work device, a short battery lifespan can impact effectiveness and productivity. Enter Android Doze, a new feature that could improve your battery life.

Payment via mobile device is gaining in popularity thanks to the latest smartphones making it easier than ever to pay bills or send money whenever needed. Yet, this trend also presents an interesting conundrum. What’s the best way to make mobile payments, and how can they be processed with minimal chance of being compromised?

Does the U.S. Constitution allow the American government to access the electronic devices of its citizens? Based on comments by FBI Director James Comey during Symantec’s Annual Government Symposium, it certainly does.